Partner Success Manager

Horace Mann•Springfield, MO

20h

About The Position

At Horace Mann, we're dedicated to supporting educators and helping them achieve lifelong financial success. We're seeking a strategic and relationship-driven Partner Success Manager to expand and strengthen our network of education-focused partnerships that drive meaningful engagement, lead generation, and business growth. This role owns the full lifecycle of strategic partnerships—from identifying and securing new opportunities to activating, measuring, and expanding existing relationships. You'll work with higher education institutions, educator organizations, and other influential partners to create programs that increase educator reach and deliver measurable business impact. The ideal candidate is equal parts relationship builder, strategist, and marketer—someone who thrives on creating partnerships that generate long-term value for both Horace Mann and our partners.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Insurance & Financial Services, Communications, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
5–7 years of experience in partnerships, strategic alliances, business development, sponsorships, channel marketing, or relationship management.
Proven success in negotiating contracts and developing mutually beneficial business relationships.
Demonstrated experience managing renewals, partner growth initiatives, and benefit expansion strategies.
Strong organizational, communication, and strategic planning skills.
Ability to identify and prioritize high-value partnership opportunities.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with education-focused organizations, associations, higher education institutions, or affinity groups.
Experience in insurance, financial services, employee benefits, or related industries.
Experience mentoring, coaching, or providing leadership to others in partnership execution.
Strong understanding of marketing performance metrics, lead generation, and ROI measurement.

Responsibilities

Build and manage a portfolio of strategic partnerships across higher education institutions, trusted educator organizations, and emerging market segments including homeschool, alumni, broker, carrier, and affinity groups.
Identify, pursue, and secure new partnership opportunities through direct outreach, referrals, networking, and business development efforts.
Negotiate and structure partnership agreements that align with Horace Mann's distribution strategy, marketing objectives, and educator engagement goals.
Evaluate potential partnerships based on growth potential, scalability, and return on investment.
Own post-signature partnership execution, ensuring every partnership launches with a clear engagement and marketing strategy.
Translate agreements into measurable partnership initiatives, including: Email marketing, Direct mail initiatives, Conferences and events, Co-branded marketing programs, Lead generation campaigns
Partner closely with Marketing, Compliance and Legal, Web, Sales, and Operations teams to ensure successful execution.
Serve as the primary relationship owner for strategic partners.
Lead renewal, renegotiation, and expansion discussions to maximize partnership value.
Identify opportunities to increase partner engagement, educator reach, lead volume, and revenue contribution.
Convert successful partnerships into scalable, long-term programs that support enterprise growth objectives.
Establish and monitor partnership performance metrics and KPIs.
Evaluate campaign effectiveness, lead generation results, engagement metrics, and ROI.
Present performance insights and recommendations to leadership and key stakeholders.
Use data to optimize partnership strategies and identify future opportunities.